"The Legion Fashion of the 1790s..." Topic

Here's a topic for the collective TMP brain-trust.

For the past week I've sort of become fixated on the Legion phenomenon…well underway during the American Revolution, with Tarleton's Legion, the 16th Light Dragoons, British Legion, Lauzun's Legion…then of course The United States Legion under Wayne in 1792…and the various French revolutionary Legions, which seemed to be still based on the british/american size.

I'd be curious about TMPers thoughts on their favorite legions of the period…why…how they table them…and of course, whether such a small, tactically interesting (usually a good mix of inf, cav and art) arrangement might be an appealing 'what if' sort of pre-napoleonic wargame.

Going back through my books, it is so obvious that the military sphere, like all others, is so influenced by fashion of the times, in both the 'Legion' concept/revival, and the uniforms of the period (the Tarleton/round hat crested & helmets (Rumford, etc) of the armies, all obviously keenly aware of what was going on elsewhere.

Recommended reading for this topic(s) is also keenly sought.

Cheers,
GH

As a brief aside to your AWI list, the 17th LD was also a legionary corps from 1776, there was no such unit as Tarleton's Legion (it was the BL – although this was originally (and post-Cowpens) cavalry only); and of course the Queen's Rangers under Simcoe, which was the one Crown legionary unit with its own integral artillery.

This book might be a good starting point:-

link

It was de Saxe who resurrected the term "legion" after studying the Roman version and applying it to 18th Century military systems. In the form (and at the level) proposed in his work, it would almost certainly have failed; but it planted the idea successfully in the minds of others. While more gifted leaders, such as Gustavus Adolphus, had combined small groups of shot into horse formations, or supported infantry with smaller, more mobile cannon, it was the application of "legionary" principles in the SYW and AWI that were the genesis of the concept of "combined arms" and "regimental combat groups" that we are familiar with.

Legion Germanique

Anthony Wayne's reorganization of the United States Army into the Legion of the United States was actually an all arms division akin to that being employed by the French at the time.

There was also Lee's Legion during the War of the Revolution and the four American Continental Light Dragoon Regiments were reorganized as 'Legionary Corps' as the war went on and it was found both difficult and expensive to mount the four regiments completely.

In Greene's command, at least at Guilford Courthouse in March 1781, William Washington's cavalry command, Kirkwood's Delaware light infantry company, and a rifle command under Campbell were combined to form a provisional legion or partisan corps and a rifle command under Lynch was also attached to Lee's Legion.

What might be helpful would be to look at the organization of French Free Corps during the Seven Years War to fight the 'little war' in response to the Croats, et al, that the Austrians fielded. These partisans would be organized with both horse and foot which transferred to North America during the Revolution.

Rene Chartrand's volume in his five book series for Osprey on Louis XV's army can be helpful for this period.

Sincerely,
Kevin

While it is certainly arguable that the Legion formations were the 'genesis' of combined arms employment, that concept can be traced back earlier, not only with Gustave Adolph, but back as far as the Romans.

Sincerely,
Kevin

It should also be noted that the first French regular legions were organized in 1784 but were shortly separated into light infantry battalions and regiments of chasseurs a cheval.

For the French Revolutionary armies, the legions generally disappeared in the 2d amalgamation of 1796. If anyone can get hold of JB Avril's Avantages d'une bonne discipline the long and complicated amalgamation process of the French army in the 1790s is in tabular form and quite thorough.

Sincerely,
Kevin

"I'd be curious about TMPers thoughts on their favorite legions of the period…why…how they table them…and of course, whether such a small, tactically interesting (usually a good mix of inf, cav and art) arrangement might be an appealing 'what if' sort of pre-napoleonic wargame."

The Legion of the United States, which saw action against the Indian confederation backed by the British culminating in the battle of Fallen Timbers in August of 1794. would be my favortie. It has it all; forts, long marches, encampments, logistic trains, possibility of British involvement(such as at Fort Miamis), foraging, militia from KY, scouts and spies, disputes between tribes of Indians, and much more. The best part for me is that the battles are fairly local to where I live.

I field my units in a small scale of 1:4, that makes 45 man companies(infantry or cavalry) 10 figures strong. King howitzer Batteries work out to 4 guns per battery. The Legion mix of all arma gives flexability to players commanding them. They aren't stuck with one option, but have several to choose from. The Indian commanders have just "infantry" to choose from, so their options are more limited.

I think the Legion type of organization works well at the tactical level. What-ifs are an endless possibility with the Legion of the United States, actions both historical and what-if can be gamed out from the Legion's time in Legionville PA 1793, to it's constructing of Ft Wayne IN 1794-95, etc. From what I have read Gen. Anthony Wayne was inspired more by Ceasar's accounts of his conquest of Gaul for anything else.

You specify legions of the 1790's. Is there any interest in discussing those of the 7YW?

GdeP

There certainly is. I referred to them in the work by Chartrand.

Sincerely,
Kevin

The Legion Royale of the 7YW offers the wargamer a unit whose cavalry can do double duty as the Dragons Royal ( typical 4-squadron regiment), or the cavalry of the Legion (3 squadrons). You can use them as Legion if doing a limited clash between opposing "Kleine Kriege" troops; or as line dragoons for a set-piece full force battle. In 15mm especially, they should look like the same unit. The infantry was one battalion strong (blue coats, red cuffs, white vests and small clothes), about the size of a regular French line infantry battalion, and then adding a company of pioneers (I don't know how they were uniformed and equipped). There was also a hussar unit in dark blue faced red with white cords. (At one time in the past before Old Glory 15's, I did this legion {1 figure = est. 40 men] with 18 figures [1 a grenadier with bearskin] by Frontier, 12 mounted using Freikorps Hanoverian Legion figures, and 2 French hussars). It was probably the largest of the French legions in the 7YW. The Volontaires de Clermont also was a one-battalion infantry unit (with two companies of grenadiers) wearing "ventre de biche" (buff?) coats with red collar, cuffs, lapels and turnbacks. They also wore a helmet (steel?) with a brass crest (no horsehair), and a turban surround of red or scarlet cloth. Later in the period, the infantry may have substituted a fur band on the helmet, as I believe the cavalry always had. They had two squadrons of cavalry. The cavalry of these two legions may have been as good as the best French dragoons, and allegedly were old soldiers returned to service. My copy of Funcken "Lace Wars" is in French, and I think it says these old soldiers always stood up to help, or never deserted, their young infantrymen.

I also like the Freikorps von Kleist. I do not like the Old Glory 15 French light infantry in mirleton, so I am converting them to the infantry of von Kleist. Using Old Glories, I now build Prussian and Austrian line infantry units of 48 figures. I cannot do 15's with deadly accuracy, so my von Kleist wear conventional European vests instead of the Hungarian corded vest with barrel sash (using Old Glory French light infantry in mirleton, with gaiters carved away to make tight trousers). I am doing 36 of them, and any Prussian Freikorp unit (doing also Le Noble as 36, with 8 jagers [using Essex austrian jagers with peakless cap with tall front]; and Schony converting the Old Glory light infantry grenadiers with bearskin. I will do 4 "squadrons" of 6 figures each of the 1st Prussian Hussars, and one of von Kleist freikorp hussars, all with fur cap. I would like to convert Prussian dragoons (maybe only 8 – one squadron) to the Kleist frei dragoons, but do not have the right heads. I understand that von Kleist also had horse artillery at the end of the war, and they may have been in green uniform. I wonder if the guns had green carraiges!

I will do six figures as the squadron of the Schony freikorps using the Prussian hussars with mirleton. My Prussian hussars are the only cavalry I am doing with six figure squadrons, using 8 for all other Prussian, Austrian or French.

So my Prussian light units will be 36 Le Noble infantry witnh 8 jagers; 36 Schony grenadiers with 6 hussars; 36 Kleist infantry with six hussars (and borrowing 4 squadrons of the 1st Hussars), and perhaps 8 light-horse grenadiers. Finally, a gun casting with green carriage, and 2 to four gunners.

I must do conversion work on Clermont by Old Glory, but will do 36 of them, plus 24 dragoons; 8 companies of Austrian grenz infantry by Old Glory (2 companies each of 16 figures from 4 different regiments) with up to 8 squadrons of Hungarian hussars of 8 figures each.

A fun hobby!

By the way, my wife had jumped into e-bay big time, and has been posting good pictures of her merchandise. Where can one gain access to posting pictures of figures so I can exchange some information with you guys?

GdeP

It should be remembered that the educated class in the middle to late 18th Century held the Romans (and especially the Republican Romans) in high esteem. And nobody had yet discovered that Vegetius was a fraud. The whole thing stems from his (bogus) description of the Republican legions.

Do you have evidence that Vegetius was a fraud? I'd be very interested in seeing that.

Sincerely,
Kevin